Manuscript Group 1058, Lester Harrison Clee (1888 – 1962), Presbyterian minister and legislator Papers, 1925 – 1962
Archives Documents, Manuscripts, Maps, & Photographs
Manuscript Group 1058, Lester Harrison Clee (1888 – 1962), Presbyterian minister and legislator
Papers, 1925 – 1962, 17 linear feet
Call Number: MG 1058 + Box and folder number
Correspondence, sermons, scrapbooks, certificates, and other materials of Lester Harrison Clee (1888-1962), who became minister of the Second Presbyterian Church, Newark, New Jersey in 1926. An outspoken Republican critic of Jersey City’s Mayor Frank Hague, Clee served in both the New Jersey House of Assembly and State Senate. In 1937, he ran unsuccessfully for governor. He was also active in the affairs of the March of Dimes, Blair Academy, Bloomfield College and Seminary, and the New Jersey Synod of the Presbyterian Church. In addition, he served as president of the New Jersey Civil Service Commission and as a member of the New Jersey Parole Board. The collection contains clippings and material relative to Bloomfield College, Blair Academy, Board of National Missions of the Presbyterian Church, New Jersey Mediation Board, New Jersey Civil Service Commission, Frank Hague, race track betting in New Jersey, materials from the Second Presbyterian Church, including church news bulletins, World War II service records of church members and their children, correspondence and records of the New Jersey Parole Board, 1954-1958, including correspondence of its chairman, Homer Zink. Also included are personal items like scrapbooks of clippings from Clee’s 1937 Gubernatorial bid, sermons, appointment books, and Madeline Dreier Clee’s papers.
Gift of Madeline Drier Clee, 1973.
| Box | Folder | Description | Dates |
| 1 | 1 | Obituary clippings: Lester H., Katherine and Frank R. Clee | |
| 1 | 2 | General correspondence | 1916,1962, and n.d. |
| 1 | 3 | Correspondence: National Missions | 1946-1948 |
| 1 | 4 | Correspondence and clippings, papers: March of Dimes | 1954-1960 |
| 1 | 5 | Correspondence, clippings, papers: Bloomfield College | 1946-1962 |
| 1 | 6 | Correspondence, clippings, papers: Blair Academy | 1951-1962 |
| 1 | 7 | Sermons | 1927-1958 |
| 1 | 8 | Sermons | n.d. |
| 2 | 1 | Sermons | n.d. |
| 2 | 2 | Ministry | 1951-1962 |
| 2 | 3 | Clippings: NJ Mediation Board | 1950-1951 |
| 2 | 4 | Clippings: NJ Civil Service Commission | 1951-1956 |
| 2 | 5 | Clippings: Politics | 1951-1962 |
| 2 | 6 | Speaking engagements (programs, clippings, etc.) | 1951-1962 |
| 2 | 7 | Appointment books | 1925-1950 |
| 2 | 8 | Certificates | |
| 2 | 9 | Tributes to Clee | |
| 2 | 10 | Miscellaneous materials | 1935-1961 |
| 2 | 11 | Madeline Dreier Clees Papers | |
| 3 | 1 | Two scrapbooks: clippings from his 1937 gubernatorial bid and Service mens records World War II | |
| 4 | 1 | Clippings and literature from his 1937 gubernatorial bid | |
| 4 | 2 | General political clippings | 1936-1945 |
| 5 | 1 | Frank Hague, Last of the Big Bosses, | 1917-1949 |
| 5 | 2 | Frank Hague | 1938 |
| 5 | 3 | The pros and cons of Race Track Betting in NJ | 1935-1945 |
| 6 | 1 | New Jersey Parole Board | |
| 6 | Correspondence: Lester H. Clee | 1954-1958 | |
| 6 | Correspondence: Homer C. Zink | 1954-1958 | |
| 6 | Correspondence: NJ Parole Board | January 1954-1958 | |
| 6 | Monthly Reports | 1954, 1956, 1957, 1958 | |
| 6 | Notices of Pendency of Application for Executive Clemency | 1954-1958 | |
| 6 | Action Memorandums | 1956-1958 | |
| 6 | Public Notices of Release of Prisoners | 1957-1958 | |
| 7 | 1 | Second Presbyterian Church | |
| 7 | Clees Talks on Washington and Lincoln | ||
| 7 | Clees Sunday Night Talks to young people | ||
| 7 | Young people: receipts, letters, notices, radio programs | ||
| 7 | Literature and papers on young people | ||
| 7 | Correspondence: Second Presbyterian Church | 1926-1950 | |
| 7 | Correspondence: Second Presbyterians Musical Director, Charles Black | 1939-1941 | |
| 7 | Correspondence, papers, literature: National Music League | 1941-1943 | |
| 7 | Clippings, papers, etc.: Second Presbyterian | ||
| 7 | Appreciation dinner for Clee | 1950 | |
| 7 | 135th Anniversary | ||
| 7 | Plays | ||
| 7 | Papers on Easter | ||
| 7 | European Restoration Fund | ||
| 7 | Clippings: Protestant and Catholic churches | 1946 | |
| 8 | 1 | Second Presbyterian Church: Advertising Material (programs, announcements, tickets, etc.) | 1922-1930 |
| 9 | 1 | Second Presbyterian Church: Advertising Material | 1931-1933 |
| 10 | 1 | Second Presbyterian Church: Advertising Material | 1934-1936 |
| 11 | 1 | Second Presbyterian Church: Advertising Material | 1936-1940 |
| 12 | 1 | Second Presbyterian Church: Advertising Material | 1940-1945 |
| 13 | 1 | Second Presbyterian Church: Advertising material | 1945-1962 |
| Pamphlets: Manual of the Second Presbyterian Church and The Sermon, J. Fewsmith | 1886 | ||
| World War II records (addressees, birthdays) for members and children of members of congregation | |||
| Add 1 | 1 | History of Second Presbyterian | |
| Add 1 | 2 | Biographical sketch of Dr. Clee | |
| Add 1 | 3 | Madelin Dreier – secretary | |
| Add 1 | 4 | Picture of Church | |
| Add 1 | 5 | Church letters and pamphlets | 1938-1945 |
| Add 1 | 6 | Church Bulletins | 1927-1939 |
| Add 1 | 7 | Church Bulletins | 1952-1977 |
| Add 1 | 8 | Church News | 1968-1976 |
| Add 1 | 9 | Plans for Church activities | |
| Add 1 | 10 | Programs of Church activities | 1933-1962 |
| Add 1 | 11 | Everymans Bible Class | 1922-1962 |
| Add 1 | 12 | Church publications | 1940-1962 |
| Add 1 | 13 | Picture of Church activities | 1944 |
| Add 1 | 14 | Robert Crames? Personal? | 1939-1942 |
| Add 1 | 15 | Church correspondence | |
| Add 1 | 16 | Press releases | |
| Add 1 | 17 | Church business | |
| Add 1 | 18 | Annual Financial Reports | 1952-1953 |
| Add 1 | 19 | Drama Worship- | 1967-1968 |
| Add 2 | 1 | Sermons | n.d. |
| Add 2 | 2 | Sermons | n.d. |
| Add 2 | 3 | Sermons | n.d. |
| Add 2 | 4 | Book of Sermons, articles | 1929-1933 |
| Building of Community House | 1930 | ||
| Erection of new church | 1932 | ||
| Add 2 | 5 | Notes, sermons | |
| Add 2 | 6 | Speaking engagements | 1940-1953 |
| Add 2 | 7 | Lecture notes | 1946 |
| Add 2 | 8 | Sermon of George Ehrhardt? | |
| Add 3 | 1 | Correspondence, Clee and Drier | 1926-1936 |
| Add 3 | 2 | Correspondence, Clee and Drier | 1938-1946 |
| Add 3 | 3 | Arizona trip Mission | 1914 |
| Add 3 | 4 | Correspondence – Clees trip to Europe | 1946 |
| Add 3 | 5 | Personal correspondence, Europe trip | 1946 |
| Add 3 | 6 | Personal correspondence, Europe trip | 1947-1961 |
| Add 3 | 7 | Governor Driscoll correspondence | 1948 |
| Add 3 | 8 | Personal correspondence – Mrs. Madeline Clee | 1953-1962 |
| Add 3 | 9 | Memorials -funeral services- obituaries | 1962 |
| Add 3 | 10 | Sympathy letters | 1962 |
| Add 3 | 11 | Mrs. Clees letter of appreciation regarding death of Clee | |
| Add 3 | 12 | Bloomfield College Memorial for Dr. Clee | 1962 |
| Add 3 | 13 | Memorial service at Second Presbyterian Church | 1969-1976 |
| Add 3 | 14 | Dedication of Lester Clee | 1962 |
| Add 4 | 1 | Portraits of Dr. Clee | |
| Add 4 | 2 | Discharge Volunteer Military | |
| Add 4 | 3 | Lou Gehrig article | 1939 |
| Add 4 | 4 | Tributes, citations- Dr. and Mrs. Clee | 1944-1961 |
| Add 4 | 5 | American Christians Palestine Committee | 1948 |
| Add 4 | 6 | Dr. Clee regarding book | 1956 |
| Add 4 | 7 | Dr. Clee appointed Chaplain of Order of Masons | 1958 |
| Add 4 | 8 | Synod Fund Campaign | |
| Add 4 | 9 | Political appointment and elections | 1936-1952 |
| Add 4 | 10 | Civil Service information | 1952-1953 |
| Add 4 | 11 | Parole Board | 1954-1956 |
| Add 4 | 12 | Records of 1955 Senate Chairman, Dr. Clee | |
| Add 4 | 13 | Political Memoribilia | 1935-1952 |
| Add 4 | 14 | Printed Articles by Dr. Clee | |
| Add 4 | 15 | Hameletic Reunion about Dr. Clee | 1934 |
| Add 4 | 16 | Dr. Sly? Manuscripts | |
| Add 4 | 17 | Various Church bulletins | 1954-1973 |
| Add 4 | 18 | Second Presbyterian Church bulletins | 1960-1962 |
| Add 4 | 19 | Newspaper clippings on Clee | 1926-1927 |
| Add 4 | 20 | Newspaper clippings on Clee | 1931-1932 |
| Add 4 | 21 | Political newspaper clippings | 1935 |
| Add 4 | 22 | Scrapbook of clippings | 1950-1951 |
| Add 4 | 23 | Newspaper clippings | 1950-1952 |
| Add 5 | 1 | Newspaper clippings | 1953 |
| Add 5 | 2 | Newspaper clippings | 1953 |
| Add 5 | 3 | Newspaper clippings – obituaries | 1962 |
| Add 5 | 4 | Newspaper clippings – miscellaneous | 1962-1972 |
| Add 5 | 5 | Newspaper clippings – Gov. Driscoll obituary | 1975 |
| Add 5 | 6 | Giehard? H. Clee, son of Lester | 1968 |
| Add 5 | 7 | Unknown correspondence re: Clee | |
| Add 5 | 8 | Miscellaneous | 1928-1973 |
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